In the face of such an overwhelming agenda, the Government and major donors have divided the responsibility for reconstruction among them, with the IFRC building the largest number of houses and consequently committing the largest amount of funds of any donor. As of November 2005, 805 houses have been repaired, and another 1,300 are ongoing. Work on the construction of 509 houses has commenced and over 600 houses are at tendering stage. Micro-credit grant agreements worth over US$ 4 million have been signed with 44 Island Development Committees. Funds under these agreements will allow 1,183 householders to pay for the repair of their houses and another 135 to rebuild their destroyed homes. In some instances people have moved back to their damaged homes to oversee repairs using community grants from the Government and/or United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) underwritten by the Government of Japan. To empower IDPs and their hosts to take greater responsibility in managing their own affairs, and to reduce their dependency on the work of Malé-based organisations, the MIDP Unit and OCHA have worked with communities to set up IDP Committees on most of the affected islands. <strong>The</strong>se committees have greatly improved local involvement in the recovery process, and have helped to avoid conflict that might otherwise have arisen within the communities. <strong>The</strong>re were disturbances on one island in early November which emphasized the need to invest more in psychosocial programmes in addition to the current primary focus on reconstruction. Despite all the progress to date, ‘building back better’ has taken far longer than was initially thought. Shelter Reconstruction In some ways, the initial relief phase following the catastrophe was the easiest part of the process. As disaster relief moved onto recovery and reconstruction, the true dimensions of the challenge began to emerge. Among the many tasks to be addressed, a total of 5,215 houses needed to be repaired and another 2,879 needed to be reconstructed. Though not on the same scale as in other tsunami-affected countries, the unique logistical challenges of the <strong>Maldives</strong> has made shelter reconstruction a daunting and complex problem. Indeed, the simple transportation of building materials to the islands is a major issue in itself. On some islands, harbours have silted up as a result of the tsunami, and jetties have been damaged or destroyed. <strong>The</strong> price of marine diesel fuel has increased to the point where a single boat trip can cost thousands of dollars. Airlifting is not always an option as some islands are just too small and lack appropriate landing areas. To further compound matters, engineers discovered that the number of houses requiring repair was actually increasing over time. As the islands’ highly porous soils subsided in the months following the tsunami, the ground shifted and previously unharmed buildings required repair or demolition. Consequently, initial assessments sometimes proved inaccurate, and additional people became entitled to assistance. In addition, a number of islands are being completely rebuilt—literally —from the ground up, with overall elevation being raised several metres, a significant feat of engineering. For example, IFRC is undertaking one such construction project which will involve developing an uninhabited island for up to 3,600 tsunami-displaced Maldivians. This will be an environmental ‘green’ community infastructure, including houses, schools, community centre, sports facility, administration complex and a guest house. IFRC will provide roads, water supply and distribution, sewerage, and waste management. Water and Sanitation For engineers involved in the construction of houses and islands, clean water and sanitation, which were severely affected by the tsunami, have to be taken into account during the reconstruction and repair process. With the exception of Malé, no island is connected to a sewerage system. Toilets consist of soak-pit septic tanks, though some discharge human waste through the highly porous soil directly into the ground water. At the time of the tsunami, many of the septic tanks were poorly maintained and were cracked and leaking. When the tsunami struck, sea water entered the shallow wells and groundwater supplies, and human waste from damaged or destroyed septic tanks and pit toilets leaked into water supply systems. To overcome the immediate problem of contaminated water, bottled water was provided in the early stages of the emergency. In the first two months more than 25 reverse-osmosis desalination plants were donated by IFRC, UNICEF, OXFAM, and the governments of Singapore and Germany; five were mounted on boats to distribute water to remote communities. With rainwater being the primary source of drinking water, considerable focus has been placed on the provision of domestic water tanks, guttering and down pipes by the IFRC and UNICEF. To avoid such problems in the future, reconstruction plans include the provision of clean water supplies, including rainwater harvesting tanks, appropriate septic systems, efficient effluent disposal, and the proper disposal of household waste and tsunami debris. It has become clear that the post-tsunami reconstruction effort far exceeds the resources available in the country; technical and managerial capacity— engineers, managers, foremen—are in very high demand, and community development expertise and support is rare. In the meantime, community awareness programmes dealing with water conservation, pollution, and hygiene practices are being implemented, and water and sanitation technicians are being trained to provide more local capacity in the area. 18 | THE MALDIVES ONE YEAR AFTER THE TSUNAMI
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE COMMUNITY CONSULTATION <strong>The</strong> British Red Cross (BRC) conducts tours of model homes for islanders who have lost their houses, so they have an opportunity to influence the design of their future homes. “People were really excited and engaged. It gives us all a kick. <strong>The</strong> fact that they can select colours and layout certainly builds on participation”, said a spokesperson for the BRC after one of the tours. Families have a choice of three layouts and three colours for the roof, walls, and tiles. <strong>The</strong> model homes tour is just one example of how the BRC’s <strong>Maldives</strong> Recovery Programme ensures that target communities are able to shape the decisions that affect their lives. Over the next two years, the organisation will spend approximately US$ 27 million reconstructing over 700 homes and restoring livelihoods on tsunami-affected islands, as well as supporting communities so they are better prepared for future disasters. Part of this disaster risk management includes ensuring that the new houses built are designed to be as tsunami resilient as possible. THE MALDIVES ONE YEAR AFTER THE TSUNAMI | 19
![View full document [PDF 7.65 MB] - unisdr](https://img.yumpu.com/48902806/1/178x260/view-full-document-pdf-765-mb-unisdr.jpg?quality=85)
Change language